Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1887-01-06

articles Of the Confederation and the
United States Constitution did like.
wize. In the treaty which closed our
revolutionary war, signed on the part
of our country by such men as John
Adams, Benz. Franklin and John jay,
it was provided that "his Britanic Ma
jesty 10 removing his forces should
not carry away any negroes or ether
property Of the American inhabitants"
Again, the British government was
required 10 pay, and did pay, for
slaves taken by them during the war
OF 1912. This was urged by John @.
Adams while Secretary of State, and
it may be appropriate to quote por-
ton of the instructions OF that North
ern statesman in his letter TO Mr..
Rush, then American minister to Eng
land. He says: THE principle is
that the emancipation of enemy's
slaves Is not among the acts of war,
as relates to the owners; it is de-
struction Of pirate property nowhere
warranted by the usages of war"
Again. and more strongly. he says:
"In the statement of the British
ground of argument upon the claim
in the submission they have broadly
asserted the right of emancipating
slaves-private property-as legif-
innate right of war. This is utterly
incomprehensibls On the part of ma
ton whose subjects had slaves by mil.
lions and who in this very treaty
Greatly of 1879 recognized them as
private property. No such right is
acknowledge as a law of war by wri-
ters who admit any limitation. The
right OF putting to death all prisoners
of war in cold blood and without spe-
cial cause, might as we'll be represen-
ted to be law of war, or the right
to use poisoned weapons, or to assas-
sinate." The man who made these
declarations was the admired of the peo-
pie of the State in which he lived and was
soon after making them elected President
of the United States, by which, it must be
presumed, the, country endorsed his views
in this regard. Now our State during the late
war was unquestionahly Union State and
~ EsGAG g-l3tE anu tlsAAtE1l 10 nave
protected by the general government If
the forces OF the Confederate government
had been able TO enter this Stats and take
away ten thousand OF our slaves, and had
afterward established her Independence,
and treaty in consequence been entered
into between the two governments, would
il not have been the duty of the United
States government, in accordance with its
course towards the British government, to
have claimed that the said ten thousand
slaves should be considered private proper
~ and paid for by the Confederate govern
meEt, Is it not then ''incomprehenSible"
that the paymsut ti.eY you'd thus demand
from foreign State in behalf Of their Citi-
gems should be refused when they them
selves take from their owners and appro-
pirate ~ 900 slaves for the use OF the pub
licg That they should provide for such
claim without hesitation has nothing 10 do
with war, but it is enforced by the laws Of
justice, peace and cool will. 1t seems to
be impossible for an honest man to at
tempt to avoid this duty.
When tie war broke ont, Maryland was
considered by her wisest citizens la a peril
Gus condition; these citizens (as loyal as
any of those who thought differently were
for peace and reconstruction. They be-
lievcd that whichever side succeeded. some
of her most important rights and institu-
tions would hc destroyed. Ii the United
States succeeded, they very reasonably
concluded that the anti-siaYery sentiment
that had taken possession of the minds OF
the Northern people, and consequently
would control the administration of the
government, would bring about the re-
suits which We are now suffering from;
an1 that - fhn razgtifs NSstrrll t4l-n
place if success should attend the arms Of
the Cnnfedeacy for being, ne IL ssCre, the
only slave State left in the Union, She
would have been left alone, subject 10 the
same prevailing power. Peace, Cancellation
and compromise would have brought about
what they wished fora stronger Union
with the rights and powers of the General
and State governments well defined and
the rights OF the citizens still well proIec-
ted. The farseeing, Liberty loving, ana of
course suspicious patriots, had not sufficient
influence - impress their views upon either
government or the people, but the people.
a. represented in our legislature while the
war was going on, were fully impressed
with the belief that the general government
under the control of the republican party
would preserve the Union and perpetuate
il by crushing the claimed right of State
secession and withouta single loss IL either
State or citizen. The strings # resolutions
adopted by that legislature establish their
conliding loyalty beyond all question, and |
must confess that there was some excuse
for the confidence they placed in President
Lincoln and his adhcrentS, for they dg-
reared To- be anxious 10 firmly secure us
our rights = our slaves. our people were
aSioaished that the following amendment
of the Constitution Of The United States
should have been proposed by VIM. IL.
Seward and passed aS required by two
thirds Of each House of Congress Ii was
submitted to the states for adoption and
read as follows: mo amendment of the
Constitution shall be made which shall au-
ihorise or give "a Congress the power to
abolish or interfere within any State, with
the domestic institutions thereof, includ-
ing that of persons held - labor or ser
vice BY the laws Of said State" Our
legislature voted promptly for this
amendment without q dissenting voice,
Ohio being the only other State that voted
for il. Although not voted on by other
States, Il was urged as showing the ad-
miniStration's disposition to protect our
highly valued rights, and whether adopted
or not, yet il was an implied contract on
the part Of the United States that our State
should not suffer in the premises. While
on this point lee me state fact which may
increase our hope of success; Inc Honor
able John Sherman, now President of the
Senate, introduced resolution somewhat
akin 20 the above on the nth Of February,
1861, and which was adopted by the House
OF Representatives unanimously. 1t reads
thus: Resolved, that neitneg Congress Of
the United States nor the people or gov
ernments of the non-slayeholding States
have the Constitutional right to legislate
upon or interfere with slavery in any of the
slave holding States in this Union" There